Montana's Missouri River Family Canoe

Family Fun on the Lewis & Clark Trail

Treat your family to this canoe and hiking experience in Montana’s ‘Big Sky’ country. You will experience the upper Missouri River much as Lewis and Clark did 200 years ago. Start at Coal Banks Landing and float on swift currents beneath beautiful sandstone cliffs and white stone spires that the explorers compared to Europe’s finest cathedrals. Paddle past the Eye of the Needle, LaBarge Rock, Citadel Rock and Hole in the Wall–all spectacular landforms that grace this section of the river. Set up camp under cottonwood trees at Slaughter River, a Lewis and Clark site, and read from their journals. Look for mule deer and elk roaming the area and browsing on vegetation. Catch glimpses of bald and golden eagles, prairie falcons and sparrow hawks perched on cliffs or soaring overhead. Hear prairie dogs chirp and whistle from their extensive “towns” nearby (did you know that early settlers called them whistle pigs?). Explore abandoned homesteads within easy hiking distance of the campsite. End the adventure at Judith Landing, a historic area for the Blackfoot tribe, fur traders, and steam boaters.

Sample Itinerary

DAY 1: Meet other families in Billings and travel to Coal Banks stopping to explore Fort Benton along the way. Get to know each other and prepare for a wonderful trip. Stay at Coal Banks Landing.

DAY 2: After breakfast at Coal Banks, pack up camp, practice canoeing skills, then start down river. Camp in the rich bottom lands along the river near the Eye of the Needle.

DAY 3: Enjoy the same white cliffs and scenic beauty that Lewis and Clark described as "scenes of visionary enchantment" when they first came through in 1805. Pass Citadel Rock and camp near the Hole in the Wall formation.

DAY 4: Spend most of the day paddling along the banks of the river. Camp at Slaughter River, where Lewis and Clark camped in 1805 on their way west and in 1806 on their return trip. Set up camp and read from Lewis and Clark's log.

DAY 5: Sleep in and enjoy a layover day at Slaughter River. Explore the geology of the river valley or search for wildlife. Take a dip in the river to cool off in the afternoon.

DAY 6: Look for big horn sheep along the bluffs as we paddle downstream toward Judith Landing, a historic area for the Blackfoot tribe, fur traders, and steamboats. Conclude the trip at Judith Landing after lunch. Those using WI's van transport can expect to return to Billings late that evening.

Travel, Terrain, Etc...

TERRAIN/ROUTE CHOICES: The Missouri River flows through high prairie hills, covered by short grasses, sagebrush, and cottonwood trees along the riverbank. Generally speaking, the terrain is accessible, with sandy, level campsites and no portages. There are many steep cliffs where the river has cut channels and gullies in the soil and sandstone. The Missouri River offers a range of daily route options from very easy to moderate.

TYPE OF TRAVEL/DISTANCE: You will travel in 17-foot Wenonah canoes, which hold two to three paddlers, plus all necessary gear. This is a great trip for beginners and seasoned paddlers. An average day's travel consists of 2-5 hours of paddling depending on the wind and weather. Travel distances run 10 to 14 miles per day with the exception of scheduled layover days. Hiking options will be available along the river. To protect the environment, WI uses "Leave No Trace" camping techniques.

WEATHER: Temperatures in the summer months range from 40 F in the evening to 100 F during the day. Rainfall can vary, and you should expect at least a day or two of rain. Strong head winds can also be a factor on this trip.

YOUR GROUP: The group size ranges from 10 to 14 participants, plus two or more Wilderness Inquiry staff. Each family group consists of people of various ages, backgrounds and abilities, including people with disabilities. The Missouri River is a kid-friendly vacation and also a great vacation with teenagers. Our trips are cooperative in nature. WI staff will assist you in whatever areas you need, however most people pitch in where they can. Part of the adventure involves learning about daily camp activities.

ACCOMMODATIONS: This is a family trip. At night you will sleep in a comfortable Eureka tent. Typically, there are 3 people per 4-person tent (although other arrangements can be made). Bathroom facilities consist of an outhouse or a foldable commode chair set up in a privacy tent. We make every effort to ensure privacy and cleanliness.

MEALS: The food we bring is plentiful, nutritious, and primarily vegetarian (because this keeps better than meat) and not to mention kid-friendly. You can expect meals like burritos, pesto pasta, and vegetable stir-fry for dinner; bagels and sandwiches for lunch; pancakes, french toast, oatmeal, and granola for breakfast. If you have special dietary restrictions, be sure to list them on your registration.

EQUIPMENT AND CLOTHING: Wilderness Inquiry will provide all necessary canoeing and camping equipment. All you need to provide is your personal gear, such as clothing and a sleeping bag. A detailed equipment list will be sent to you upon confirmation of your participation. If you need to borrow personal gear, that can usually be arranged.

A note about the itinerary: Our trips are real adventures in the outdoors. While we'll make every effort to follow the itinerary listed here, elements may change due to weather or reasons beyond our control.

Visitors to Montana’s Missouri River will step back in time two hundred years to the time of Lewis and Clark, and experience both the Big Sky country of Montana and the historic Mighty Missouri just as these famous explorers did more than two centuries before.

The Missouri River runs through the 377,000-acre URL{Upper Missouri Breaks National Monument;http://www.blm.gov/mt/st/en/fo/umrbnm.html}, created by President Clinton in January of 2001 and managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The 149-mile Upper Missouri National Wild and Scenic River, designated in 1976, flows through the monument.

In the Missouri Breaks of central Montana, modern visitors can view a landscape that has remained unchanged for centuries. These rugged badlands, scenic White Cliffs, and high rolling prairies attracted the Blackfoot Native Americans, Lewis and Clark, and a few hearty settlers, all of whom turned out to be mere visitors. The region has been described in many ways: “scenes of visionary enchantment” by Lewis and Clark, Karl Bodmer described a formation as “it was like an old Gothic Chapel with a chimney and pines...growing around the wall,” and William Clark also wrote of the country as harsh and desolate. Stephen Ambrose’s acclaimed book, Undaunted Courage, and Ken Burns’ documentary have also generated interest and attracted people from throughout the world.

With a vision of the United States spreading from ocean to ocean, President Thomas Jefferson conceived of an expedition to explore the vast expanse of the Louisiana Territory and the Pacific Northwest. Jefferson gave the expedition its primary objectives to find a transportation route through the Louisiana Territory to the Columbia River and in doing so to learn about native cultures and the resources of the region. President Jefferson chose his personal secretary and friend, URL{Meriwether Lewis;http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/i_r/lewis.htm}, to head the expedition. With the acquisition of the Louisiana Territory, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark embarked upon an epic adventure of discovery, which included traversing this very same stretch of Montana’s Missouri River. Their epic adventure stands the test of time and will continue to amaze and inspire people for generations.

The picturesque White Cliffs and numerous igneous intrusions have been slowly exposed by the meandering Missouri River. Since carving its way through millions of years of rock, the Missouri has helped geologists unravel the geological mysteries of this land. Exposed layers of shale and sandstone indicate the presence of a great inland sea: various angles of this layering represent folding, faulting, or uplifting and the many caves, pillars, and arches are results of differential erosion. Geologists theorize that the Missouri River once meandered its way to the Atlantic Ocean, but a great glacial mass that formed over what is now Canada altered its course to the south and east near Coal Banks Landing. The combination of these geologic events formed the impressive, yet harsh, region that Lewis and Clark would experience with their “URL{Corps of Discovery;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corps_of_Discovery}.”

The wild inhabitants of the land have remained much the same since early exploration. Ungulates, including bighorn sheep, mule deer, antelope, and elk, still roam this land and browse on the vegetation. Bald and golden eagles, prairie falcons, and sparrow hawks perch on the cliffs or soar overhead. The fertile bottomlands and riparian zones also support diverse wildlife such as sharp-tailed grouse and prairie dogs.

While traveling the river with Wilderness Inquiry paddlers will camp at sites used by Lewis and Clark, read from their expedition journals, and view the same landscape that awed these legendary explorers. Our groups discuss local history and current issues pertaining to land rights and endangered species. The URL{Missouri Breaks;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_Missouri_River_Breaks_National_Monument} provides visitors with a true American adventure and a taste of early 19th century exploration.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Would the Allagash and Missouri trips be appropriate for my 7 year-old son?

We recommend that kids 14 and younger go on a family trip. Both the Allagash and the Missouri trips are adult oriented. We do sometimes have adults bring kids with them on adult oriented trips - but typically these kids have lots of outdoor experience already, can canoe or kayak, and have done trips with groups of adults. Some kids are great in this type of environment; other kids do better if they have peers on a trip with them.

No Dates Scheduled

WI leads trips to the Missouri River but currently has no dates scheduled. If you have a group of 10 or more people interested, we can set up a customized adventure just for you! Click on the "Do a Custom Trip" button on the lower right hand side of this screen.

Check out trips that are similar to Montana's Missouri River Family Canoe below: